2017 Kickoff Agenda, Forms to Bring to Kickoff, Training Planning, Free Software License, Maps, October Events
Build a robot in six weeks; inspire a youth for a lifetime

2017 Teacher-Mentor Newsletter Number 5
Greetings Rocky Mountain BEST   2017 Teachers and Mentors! 

We're looking forward to seeing you and your students at our 2017 Kickoff planned for:  

Englewood High School at 3800 S Logan St, Englewood, CO 

8:00 AM Teacher/Mentor Registration followed by 9:00 AM 2017 Game reveal and 10:20 AM training for students and teachers/mentors, and ending with distribution of each school's robot build materials by 12:30 PM.

Included in this email are the following 4 sections. 
  1. Kickoff Agenda - Current Draft - minor changes may occur
  2. Kickoff Procedures-Kickoff Preparation and the day of Kickoff directions
  3. Looking Forward to Practice and Game Day -Reminder of dates and preparation. Also includes optional BEST Award dates.
  4. Rocky Mountain BEST Robotics Schools -We currently have 26 schools signed up
    and are excited to see you and your students at Kickoff.
2017 BEST Game Logo

2017 Rocky Mountain BEST Kickoff Agenda

Kickoff Schedule
Englewood High School

  8:00 AM Teacher/Mentor Team Registration
 
  9:00 AM   Opening - Tami Kirkland, Master of Ceremonies
  • Introduce Englewood HS Principal or STEM Coordinator, TBD
  • Introduction of BEST
  9:05 AM   FR BEST Introduction - Tami Kirkland      
  • Recognize Sponsors, BOD, Steering Team & Volunteers
  • FR BEST School Roll Call
  • FR BEST Awards & Judging Overview
  9:15 AM    RM BEST Introduction - Carolyn Bauer    
  • Recognize Sponsors, BOD, Steering Team & Volunteers
  • RM BEST School Roll Call
  • RM BEST Awards & Judging Overview
  9:30 AM  Rules Overview & Season Reminders - Shannon Ragland
  9:35 AM  Reveal the 2017 Crossfire Game - Shannon Ragland
Game Protobot Demo - Michelle Plarina (Driver), Evie Blackwell (Spotter)
  9:50 AM-12:00 PM  Game Floor Available for Photos and Videos
10:15-11:15 AM Breakout Training Sessions (Attendance limits below)
 
Room
Session
Presenters
Max
Attending 
/School
The Venue
Kits and Rules
Phil Hardy & JoAnne Fry
4
2406
RM BEST Engineering Notebooks
Linda King
2
2404
RM BEST - The BEST Award
Lisa Luciano,
Michael Caston & David Klein
2
2421
SIMULINK
Evie Blackwell
1
2400A-behind Library
Teacher & Mentor Tips
Lois Walton & Mica Storie
1
2420
Control Systems
Joshua Heintzelman
1
Library
Programming easyC
Kevin Barrett
2
Engineering Lab
Wheel Hub Demo
David Trujillo
1
GYM
Robot Design and Construction Tips
Scott McEwen
No limit
Library
11:15 AM -Noon
easyC Hands-On Demo
Kevin Barrett
1
 
10:30 AM-12:30 PM Kit Pickup - 2 team members pick up please
11:20 AM-11:50 AM Q&A - FR: Tami Kirkland, Joel Kirkland, Phil Hardy
              RM: Carolyn Bauer, Shannon Ragland, Carolyn Hickey,                    Lisa Luciano
Looking Ahead to Kickoff  
Englewood High School on 9 September  from 8 AM- Noon
 
Pre-Kickoff Procedures
  1. Free Software: The software licensing information for each team is normally provided in the teacher packets at Kickoff.  Rocky Mountain BEST offers our teachers the opportunity to receive the software licensing links or keys once they register their team on Eventbrite.
    Please contact Lois Walton    [email protected]   if you are interested in getting any of the additional license keys prior to Kickoff:  easyC, SolidWorks Student Evaluation Kit (3D CAD Software), RoboMatter RobotC, MathWorks Simulink.
  2. Training Session Planning: (Reference Agenda above) After the Kickoff introduction and revelation of the game (with much fanfare, pomp and circumstance) there will  an hour of breakout training sessions. You will be given the listed tickets for attendees for each of the sessions with  Robot Design & Construction Tips session in the gym having no limit to participation and thus no tickets.  Also there will be a 45 minute ea syC Hands-on Demonstration  with one ticket from 11:15-Noon. To help you plan who will attend the training sessions,  this optional  training session planning sheet might be helpful for you to organize your team. All of the training presentations will be posted at our website. We will also provide a thumb drive with all relevant files in the teacher packet at Kickoff, including all breakout session training presentations.   Training session location map.
  3. Forms to Bring:  Please have the following forms completed and ready to turn in on 9 September: 
Kickoff Procedures 
  1. Directions: Kickoff will be on Saturday 9 September at Englewood HS located at  3800 S Logan St, Englewood, CO 80113. When you arrive at Englewood High School, park in one of the parking lots identified in the map and follow the signs to the Gym.  PLEASE encourage carpooling or consider bringing a bus.  Please click here for map.  
  2. Participation: The Kickoff presentation will start promptly at 9:00 AM for students and teachers/mentors. Teachers/mentors will need to arrive at 8:00 AM to register their teams. Unless you have made prior arrangements, you will not be able to participate in the robot competition unless you are at Kickoff. Please email 
    [email protected]  by 7 September if you need to make other arrangements. 
  3. Kit Transportation: Since you will be issued the materials and electronics for your robot at Kickoff, you'll need to bring a vehicle capable of carrying two totes (Blue Totes: 27" X 17" X 13"; Red Totes: 15" X 11" X 9"), 3- 2'x4' plywood sheets and a 5' long PVC tube. We recommend a pick-up or an SUV/van with fold down seats.
  4. Kits: Do not forget to obtain your Consumable and Returnable Kit tote boxes and raw materials BEFORE you leave Englewood High School at the conclusion of Kickoff. 
  5. Dropbox Instructions:  Within a week after Kickoff, the team's Eventbrite teacher or mentor will receive an email via Dropbox with an invitation to share their school's Dropbox folder.  Click this link for Dropbox instructions.  Teams must post their Demographics sheet and Engineering Notebook to their 2017 Dropbox folder by 9 AM on 14 October 2017 - Practice Day.
  6. Game Day Bus Coordination: If you are planning to bring a bus to the Auraria Campus on Game Day on 21 October, we will need a bus parking request. Be prepared to sign the Game Day bus parking request, if you'll be bringing a bus to campus. 
  7. Help Wanted: We would like to collect testimonials about BEST experiences from students and teachers. We would use the testimonials in presentations and promotions for RM BEST. Please send them to Lois Walton at [email protected]
2016 Kickoff Gym Stevens Crop Low

Next Events: Practice Day in 5 Weeks & Game Day in 6 Weeks
Help Your Students Manage Their Time to Be Successful

As a reminder, here are the upcoming Rocky Mountain BEST key dates:

BEST Award (Optional Participation) Dates:
  • Starting 11 Sept 2017 at noon each BEST Award team must sign up for a Marketing  Presentation time slot.  http://signup.com/go/OSWpxSp  Last day to select your Marketing Presentation time slot from remaining slots is 22 Sept 2017.
  • Starting 11 Sept 2017 at noon each BEST Award team must sign up for an Exhibit and Interviews time slot. http://signup.com/go/BKHXWGr  Last day to select your Exhibit and Interviews time slot from remaining slots is 29 Sept 2017.
  • CHANGE:  Marketing Presentation now 6 days earlier in the schedule - at Englewood High School on Practice Day, Saturday,14 October
  • Exhibits and Interviews on Game Day 21 October,  optional setup time at 7 PM on Friday, 20 October. 
Practice Day will be held on Saturday, 14 October at Englewood High School
  • NEW PRACTICE SCHEDULE and SIGN UP APPROACH-more details to come.
    • Sign up for 1 hour practice round (check in, compliance check and robot practice) on game field (8:20 AM - 10:20 AM and 1:20 PM - ~3:20 PM)
    • Sign up to participate in optional scheduled match rehearsal (Noon-1PM)
  • Students must upload Engineering Notebook pdf file to Team's Dropbox by 2 PM (more details to be provided)
  • Teachers must upload Demographics Form in Team's Dropbox by 9 AM and bring paper copy to Robot Compliance Check.
  • Optional BEST Award Teams Marketing Presentation Judging (sign up for 30 minute time slots betwen 8 AM - 5 PM (subject to change)
Game Day will be held on Saturday, 21 O ctober at the Auraria Campus Events Center (aka Gym) in downtown Denver.
  • Located across from the Pepsi Center in Downtown Denver, must have bus passes to park in bus lot.
  • 7:30 AM Registration and Compliance Check starts
  • Competition 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Optional BEST Award Team Exhibit and Interviews - setup 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM and Judging 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
  • Awards Presentation 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Wild West BEST Regional Championship for qualifying Schools will be held on 16 and 17 December at Auraria Event Center

Rocky Mountain BEST Robotics Schools 
We are Excited to See You and Your Students


Thanks to all the Teachers and Mentors who registered with Rocky Mountain BEST.   We are excited to have 26 schoo ls  registered and an additional 2 schools finalizing their plans, these schools are in italics text. 

Schools with an asterisk are rookie schools to BEST

Rocky Mtn BEST Signed Up School as of 31 August 2017
School District or City
Abraham Lincoln High School Denver
Aurora Frontier P-8 Aurora
Aurora Quest Aurora
Aurora West College Preparatory Academy 
Aurora
Bishop Machebuef Denver
Broomfield High School Boulder Valley
Columbine Middle School Montrose
Denver Center for 21st Century Learning*
Denver
Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design
 Denver
DSST Byers Denver
DSST Cole Denver
East High School
Denver
East Middle School Aurora
Gateway High School Aurora
Heath Middle School * Greeley
Innovation Center of the St. Vrain Valley Schools St. Vrain Valley
Monarch High School Boulder Valley
Mrachek MS Aurora
New Vista High School Boulder Valley
North Middle School Aurora
St. Mary's Academy Middle School Englewood
Skinner Middle School Denver
Skyline High School St. Vrain Valley
STRIVE Prep-RISE*
Denver
Thomas Jefferson High School Denver
Vista Peak Exploratory
 Aurora
West Middle School * Cherry Creek
Westgate Community School * Adams 12


Rocky Mountain BEST | 303-351-BEST (303-351-2378)| Email | Website
STAY CONNECTED: